299 ON A YORKSHIRE GALIUM ALLIED TO G. ERECTUM. 
flowers and fruit, I do not find any appreciable difference ‘between the 
In G. Mollugo the habit of growth is similar to that of this plant, 
but in favourable situations Mollugo has stems five or six feet in height, 
intertwined amongst the shrubs that support them, and rising to the 
summit of the hedgerows, robust, and dark purple when exposed, with 
a very ample and many-flowered panicle. The leaves are half as broad 
again as in genuine G. erectum and the Cleves plant, both absolutely — 
and in proportion to their length, so broad that when spread out upon — 
a plane there is but little jnterval between their lower halves. 
‘are obovate-lanceolate in shape, narrowed below more suddenly than 
‘in G. erectum, less prickly at the edges, and thinner in texture, so that 
upon holding them up to the light the midrib is often translucent, and 
the lateral venation also perceptible. In normal @. Mollugo also the . 
pedicel of the mature fruit is not more than twice its length, and — 
spreads out at about a right angle, or is even somewhat deflexed; but 4 
In shade the pedicel is sometimes erecto-patent, and four times as yes 
as the fruit. The panicle is much more numerously flowered and r 
more wide-spreading than in G. erectum, but the separate flowers aT? — 
conspieuously smaller and with narrower corolla-lobes. Between the 
Cleves plant and G. Mollugo there is at least a difference of a fortnight : 
in flowering-time, the first fruits of the Cleves plant having begun to : 
change colour before the first buds of G. Mollugo expand. 
Our common G. Mollugo is the G. elatum of Thuillier, and there 3 
are at least four Continental species which come between this and G. ] 
erectum. G. dumetorum, Jordan, is described as having stems two to : 
four feet long, prostrate and rooting at the base, afterwards loosely 
ascending, moderately thin, oblong or linear, veiny, leaves eight in 2 
‘whorl, an ample subpyramidal panicle with erecto-patent upper branches, E 
the lower branches elongated and spreading from the stem at 8 7. 
angle, pedicels twice as long as the ovaries, a small whitish poc 4 
that 
to Pro- 4 
Of the — 
de 
.» has diffuse or procumbent tufted stems much shorter than 1? s 4 
Mollugo, opaque, oblong-obovate leaves, a panicle with erect or slightly x 
"with lanceolate lobes and a small brown slightly rugose fruit. 
this, judging it from the description alone, I was inclined to think 
the Cleves plant agreed best; but, upon submitting specimens 
fessor Boreau, he considered that they were not identical. 
other three plants to which allusion has just been made, 
RH 
